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Despite food scraps, empty takeaway containers and 60cm of waste greeting them at the door, a couple in their 20s did not let that stop them from realising their home ownership dream.

Brittany Thomas, 26, and her partner Tyler Meharg, 23, are the owners of a home on Marshall Street, West Wodonga, a structurally sound but uninhabitable three-bedder they bought for $220,000 in April.

"You couldn't see the furniture underneath the rubbish," Miss Thomas said.

Upon entering the home for the first time, they were welcomed by the sight of rotting food, empty coke bottles covering the floor of the main bedroom, dog beds, and bags of cat litter in the living room.

"As soon as we walked in, there was just a foot of rubbish all through the walkway," Mr Meharg said. "As soon as we got to the entrance of the living room, it was about 1.5-foot to 2-foot."

Undeterred by the state of the property and the clean-up ahead, the couple put in an offer, and eventually ended up doing most of the dirty work themselves after they settled.

"(The agent) was delaying putting it on the market because they couldn't get it fixed up and cleaned up, and we bought it as is," she said.

"We had been looking for a little bit, scrolling through real estate sites every night looking at house in the low budget."

Miss Thomas and Mr Meharg said they lived "the simple life" and "cut back on things we didn't really need" to get into the property market when prices were "just rising and rising".

Mr Meharg said the couple had been looking for more than a year.

You couldn't see the furniture underneath the rubbish.

They made up their mind after going to open homes and seeing "dumps" for $300,000.

"We were just shocked," Miss Thomas said.

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They were planning to save for another year while renting to have a "stronger deposit".

"We just wanted to get in as quickly as we could," Miss Thomas said.

The couple plan to raise their three-year-old daughter Marnie in the home once it is ready.

They are still waiting on bank to re-evaluate, and have been waiting for a result for a month.

The bank first valued based on land alone, and wrote off the value of the house due to its condition, which was considered ready to be demolished.

"It was valued at $200,000, so we ended up paying an extra $20,000," she said.

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Caroline is the 2022 cadet at Border Mail. 2019 Jacoby Walkley Scholar. 2018 Quill Awards finalist.

Caroline is the 2022 cadet at Border Mail. 2019 Jacoby Walkley Scholar. 2018 Quill Awards finalist.

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